Government Shutdown Closes DeSoto National Memorial

All visitor facilities including Visitor Center, trails, and parking area are closed. The park will remain closed until the government reopens.

In addition, all park programs and special events have been canceled, including kayak programs.

De Soto National Memorial is located on the Bradenton side of the mouth of the Manatee River hosts 150 visitors on average each day in October; nationally, more than 715,000 visitors a day frequent the National Park System. It is supposedly the landing spot of famous explorer Hernando DeSoto.

Nationwide the NPS stands to lose approximately $450,000 per day in lost revenue from fees collected at entry stations and fees paid for in-park activities such as cave tours, boat rides and camping. Gateway communities across the country see about $76 million per day in total sales from visitor spending that is lost during a government shutdown.

In De Soto National Memorial, 8 employees are on furlough because of the shutdown. Nationwide the shutdown has also furloughed more than 20,000 National Park Service employees; approximately 3,000 employees remain on duty to ensure essential health, safety, and security functions at parks and facilities. About 12,000 park concessions employees are also affected. 

Because it will not be maintained, the National Park Service website will be down for the duration of the shutdown. NPS.gov has more than 750,000 pages and 91 million unique visitors each year.

For updates on the shutdown, please visit www.doi.gov/shutdown.